the Gift
by re.dreamer
Summary: a broken girl attempts suicide but is transported to the realm of tortal where she starts over and meets a certain mage called rikash...rated for content...ON HIATUS! planning to restart this summer
1. Lost

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of Tamora pierce's characters, only the storyline and the original characters.

Chapter 1: Lost

A girl staggered across the floor, one hand holding a rag to her side as she walked. She collapsed on the thin mattress placed beside a full-length window and gasped with pain that shot through her side. Her thin frame was riddled with bruises and cuts and her long black hair was mattered with bits of cigarette dust. Dried blood crusted on the inside of her golden-brown thighs and her face, under all the bruises, was contorted with pain. She turned her face up to the moonlight and gazed up at the moon.

"It's the full moon tonight," she whispered, her lovely voice hoarse and broken, a voice that had been screaming for some time. She closes her eyes and wished fiercely for a something to happen. In the books she read, magical things happen during a full moon. Maybe if she wished hard enough a fairy might come for her and make everything better like in _Cinderella_. Maybe something might happen and take her away from the horror that was her stepfather, Jim. He was always beating her, blaming her for her mother's illness and the fact that he had to use his earnings for something else than booze money.

Tonight was the last straw. He had reached a new level of torture: rape. Yes, he had raped her tonight, in her house on the sofa where she had spent many afternoons before he came, chatting with her mother and watching TV. The shame and the pain were too much to bear. Her mother was staying with her aunt because that was the only way she'd get some relief from Jim.

To get away….away from it all, that was what she wanted most…and she could do it. She grabbed a certain pillow with a stained blue cover and thrust her hand inside. She hesitated for a moment then pulled out a kitchen knife whose blade was wrapped in another rag. She had wanted to use it on jim but her mother made her swear not to.

"_Honey, do not use that knife on Jim. I know he can be difficult and he may swear at you but that's as far as he will go. I do not want my daughter to grow up like that. That may provoke him to be harsher than he is," her mother said to a furious 12 year old girl._

That was two years ago and it did not take a knife to make Jim cruel. She placed the kitchen knife next to her heart and took a deep breath. _I'm sorry mother…but I cannot live any longer… _


	2. Goddess

Hey!! Missa-chan here!! Hope u like my story so far…and if you don't TOO BAD!! opens an imaginary door and shoves all dislikers out

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any of Tamora Pierce's characters…cuz if I did…evil laugh

Godlike voices "_blahblahblah_"

Chapter 2: New Beginning

"_Stop child!_"

Startled, she dropped the knife onto her pillow and turned around. "Wh…Who are you?" she stuttered, staring at a glowing figure in front of her. "What are you?"

The figure came closer and she could see that it was an impossibly beautiful woman with wavy black hair that moved as if an unseen wind blew through it and ancient blue-green eyes. Her appearance coupled with the tell-tale glow indicated that she was a goddess. Somehow she looked familiar.

"Aria Smith? Daughter of Amira binti Mohammad Noor? And daughter no longer…" asked the goddess in a powerful yet gentle voice.

"Y..Yes…"

"Child, surely you know who I am. You've seen me in your dreams and have drawn me often enough," she said indicating the file of drawings half-hidden under the thin mattress.

Recognization dawned on Aria's bruised face. "_Cahaya_..." she breathed. That was her name for the goddess who appeared in her dreams and gave her hope, hope that one day she would be free from Jim. _Cahaya_ meant 'light' in her mother's native language.

"_I bring grave news, child. Your mother has passed."_

"What? No!!! It cannot be!" protested Aria whose emerald green eyes widened in shock. "Not her, not ever!"

"_Dear child, you know very well that I cannot lie."_

Aria's control on her emotions snapped. She crumpled into a ball, tears streaming down her face. Her pillar of strength, the only thing that kept her from killing herself earlier, her _mother_, was gone.

After what seemed like an eternity, Aria felt a gentle touch on her shoulder, and a soft voice said," _Weep no more, child, this doesn't have to be a bad thing_."

"B…But how…"

"_Shh…I have waited for you. Your love for your mother held you to this world and now that she is gone-bless her soul- you can return to where you should be; in a faraway realm called Tortal,_" explained the goddess.

"I don't understand…where I shuld be?"

"_Your father was from Tortal,_" the goddess sighed. _"Neverless, its not my story to tell and time grows short. Do you chose to stay here or to journey to a strange land? You may not change your mind once you have chosen, mind."_

"I'll go to Tortal," whispered Aria, squaring her shoulders. She knew that Jim would find a way to blame all his troubles on her and would hurt her more.

"_Very well._" The goddess gestured and a ring of pure bright light sprung up around Aria's slight figure.

The goddess leaned in and brushed a kiss on Aria's forehead. Her lips burned like fire but felt as cold as ice. Aria felt a stange force gather from the air around her and plunged into her body. It burned fiercely then settled into her heart where she could feel it, a warm-not hot spot under her breast-bone.

"_My gift to you: something to help you on the way. Now you are complete, mage to spell, warrior to weapon, priestess to prayer, healer to staff. Light to your path, daughter."_

The light flared and Aria closed her eyes and fell into a twisting column of

darkness.

"_Good luck, daughter. You'll need it as I foresee that your path is long and difficult." _


End file.
